Climate Change and the Media: The Facts and Opinions

The world we live in is one of innovation and growth. Technology has expanded and grown significantly over the past several decades. At the forefront of this evolution is the media. Over the past several hundred years, the media has seen substantial growth. While print media has been a staple of society for many decades, the internet and other forms of media have revolutionized the way we receive information. These range from social media, to television, to movies, among others. Yet, in regards to climate change, the focus is on television. While much of what people see and hear is accurate and valid, one must recognize the underlying purpose of all media outlets; the media aims to convey a message to attract viewers. For many unfamiliar to academic settings, the media represents the primary source of information. The media can use various techniques such as framing in order to convey their message. By definition, framing is the media’s attempt to draw the public’s attention to certain issues. The media decides the stance they want to take, and then structures it in an attempt to influence the perception of the news. Rather than telling the audience what to think about, it tells the audience how to think about it.
This is so in the case of climate change. Climate change is a controversial and complex topic that has not seen a victor in the debate it has become. Many scientists are perplexed as to how some do not accept the science of the issue. For this reason, many in science shy away from the media’s attention. However, the issue of climate change was not always seen in this perspective. At the turning point of the twentieth century, climate change was as foreign to humans as cancer was during the early twentieth century. The ...

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Climate Change and the Media: The Facts and Opinions